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New species of the Himalayas

The flying frog is one of many species that could be at risk in the Eastern Himalayan region.

(Image: Totul Bortamuli / WWF Nepal)

A new report by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has revealed an abundance of biological diversity that is now at risk from the adverse affects of climate change.

The report, The Eastern Himalayas&colon; Where Worlds Collide, describes more than 350 new species discovered between 1998 and 2008 – including 244 plants, 16 amphibians, 16 reptiles, 14 fish, 2 birds, 2 mammals and at least 60 new invertebrates.

WWF’s conservation science advisor Mark Wright says&colon; “In the Eastern Himalayas, we have a region of extraordinary beauty and with some of the most biologically rich areas on the planet. Ironically, it is also one of the regions most at risk from climate change. Only time will tell how well species will be able to adapt – if at all.”